Darkest Night
by liezel77
Summary: Will Rose Hathaway succeed in what she set out to do? To kill the man she loves. What of Lissa, how is she handling Rose's absence.
1. Chapter 1

Story is based on Richelle Meads **VAMPIRE ACADEMY** Series.

My version of what happens after Shadow Kiss. Your suggestions and comments are always welcome.

**Chapter I : Lakeside**

Hmmm. I felt the sunlight touching my skin. From the distance I could hear water crashing against the rocks, felt an unmistakable gentle rocking motion. I opened my eyes slowly, letting my eyes adjust to the rays of the sun. I was resting against the hull of a small dinghy, sitting on the most thickest, comfortable quilt ever, wearing a skimpy red bathing suit that only models can get away with wearing. I rolled my eyes holding back the curses. I did owe him after all.

"Little damphir, I've missed you." Adrian said casually. He was gently steering the boat with wooden oars. I briefly glanced up at him. In all the dreams that he appeared in, he was never shirtless. His nipple ring caught my attention. I wondered if it really existed or was it just a part of this dream. He grinned at me, acknowledging the fact that I was staring at him. I looked away immediately, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.

"You have one crazy imagination. You could have at least given me a wrap!" I pulled the quilt over my almost naked body, trying my best not to knock over the basketful of fruit, cheese and wine. I felt the chotki that Lissa gave me back on my wrist. It was a comfort feeling it against my skin again.

"You need to come back like you promised. She needs you."

"Well, hello to you too... and I didn't promise anything!" I glared at him. He was being direct to the point this time, way too weird for him. Then I saw it, I hint of desperation on his beautiful face. I badly wanted to ask what was going on in their world but I didn't want to get sidetracked from my current goals.

"Please get out of my dreams." Was this a trick? Maybe Adrian was just manipulating me so I would come back just so he could pursue me.

"You're not going to ask whats happening to her?" He looked surprised.

"Even if you told me, I wouldn't be able to do a thing. I told you before, I have my own things to take care of."

"What can possibly be more important than Lissa's life? You're her guardian! You're bound for life, for all eternity! At least use your bond to check on her then you will see why she needs you right now." I stared at Adrian realizing that Lissa didn't tell him what it was that I "needed to take care of".

"I can't." Truth was I refused to use our bond. The day I left her at the school gates, I promised that I wouldn't check up on her. I was still consumed by guilt of leaving her behind and I was sure if I checked up on her I would abandon everything and return to her.

"You can't or you won't? those are two different things my dear."

I looked around, trying to think of a smart comeback without giving anything away. Our tiny boat was floating on a beautiful lake. The weather was perfect, the water was so clear, I could see the swan reflections from where I was sitting. Beyond that was a small dock leading up to a tiny cabin. Just the thought of a cabin brought me back to that happiest day of my life. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I needed to remain focused. I couldn't get sidetracked now. I needed to do this, for me and for him. I turned back to Adrian.

"As soon as I take care of this. I will go back to her. And that, I do promise." Adrian let out a sigh of relief. And then he was gone.

*************************************

I woke up with a start. Lissa, what are you up to now? I desperately wanted to follow Adrian's advice and check up on her through our bond. I wondered if it would work. This was the furthest and longest we've ever been apart. And as each day passed, the ache in my heart just grew deeper. There wasn't a day that goes by that I don't see the look on her face when I left. For the last couple weeks I thought of what she said. That I loved Dimitri more than her. Still this was up for debate. I knew in my soul, I couldn't live without the other. Which scared me for what I was planning to do.

Enough of thinking about this. It was time to get up. Time to go back to stalking Tasha. Yes, Tasha Ozera.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II: Minneapolis**

Coming to Minneapolis to check on Tasha was actually Plan B. Plan A was going to Russia to seek out Dimitri's family which wasn't appealing to me at all. Flying to a different country was kind of out of my comfort zone so to speak. But I would do it if this didn't work. It would take a lot of planning but I just had to suck it up. I figured that there was a small chance that Tasha knew about Dimitri's whereabouts just for the simple fact that they were good friends AND that at one point Tasha harbored strigoi in the past... Christian's parents . I wasn't sure if she assisted in hiding them somewhere but I knew that she stayed in contact with them after they were turned. That alone gave me the initiative to stalk her.

She pulled it off well. Living among the humans that is. I had been following her for almost four weeks now and knew her routine well. She should be out anytime now. Anytime. I was crouched behind crates waiting for her to lockup her studio where she taught martial arts. Her class consisted mostly of children under the age of twelve, she occasionally had a teen or two but she preferred the younger kids. I knew this because I did snoop in her office during that first week. Her classes started late afternoon. Others would find this weird but of course I knew why she couldn't have classes during the day. She was planning on hiring a second person to teach classes during the daytime but hadn't found the right person for that position yet. And she probably never will.

Her studio was typical... wall to wall mirrors, floor mats, posters of famous martial artists on the walls. There was a small supply room towards the back of the building containing martial art paraphernalia that she cleaned herself daily. Next to that was her office, the light shining through the small window indicated that she was still there. I glanced at my watch, 11:30 pm.

She was running late. Normally she left at eleven o'clock, right on the dot. My wrist watch was timed specifically for that. Right after work she normally walked a block to Zelle's Pub just for a cup of coffee. After which walked two more blocks to her condo. Walking home alone at night would bother most people but Tasha didn't care. She got tons of offers to be walked home by the regulars at Zelle's but always declined. As she stated herself "crime rate here in Minneapolis has dropped by twenty four percent since 2006, plus I'm a martial arts instructor ...". Blah , blah, blah. Of course she was a Moroi, no one could stand a chance against her, that is, if she was attacked by a human.

Finally the lights in her office turned off. I could hear the faint sound of her keys clinking together in her hand. Any minute now, any minute . I glanced at my watch, took a deep breath. I was ready for her. I went over my plan three thousand twenty six times by now. She would give me the information that I needed or I would beat it out of her. I knew Tasha knew where he was.

At the end of the first week following her, she started acting suspicious. Almost paranoid like. Then it happened, she just walked up to the corner phone booth and answered it as soon as it started ringing. I overheard her say "Dimka" before she had the chance to close the privacy door. Right there and then, I wanted to rush up and pummel her and pull that phone out of her dead hands. Yes, I knew I wasn't that great at self control but for once I kept myself in check. I watched as disgust, horror, sadness and frustration flashed across her face within that fifteen minute conversation. After that, she received regular phone calls twice a week at that same phone booth.

Ever since, I was waiting to overhear more information but she had been very careful. Eavesdropping on their phone calls just wasn't feasible without getting caught. She had not written a thing in her journals or had no records of any transactions with Dimitri either. I was tired of waiting. Tonight was the night.

I glanced at my watch again. Ten minutes had passed since she turned out the lights. Where the hell was she? I decided I would wait ten more minutes. The silence and the waiting was unbearable. The muscles in my legs started to burn, crouching this long was getting so uncomfortable, I glanced at my watch again. Only three minutes had pass since I last checked.

"To hell with this. " I went towards her back door. I hesitated for a second, listening for any movement. I didn't hear a thing. I reached for the knob slowly, afraid that she was about to open it too. I felt my heart beating wildly in my chest. Deep breaths , in and out, slow deep breaths.

I opened the door, my eyes immediately getting accustomed to the darkness. I knew her studio by heart yet I couldn't sense her anywhere. I took a step forward, the floor boards creaked under the pressure of my foot. I stood still, still sensing nothing. Where the fuck did she go? I took another step forward and closed the door gently behind me.

Shit! Did the Strigoi get here before I did? Or maybe the guardians at St. Vladimir's came to escort her back. What happened to her? I looked around the studio searching for evidence of a struggle. Nothing . Frantic, I rushed to her office and hit the light switch. I looked up, noticing one of the ceiling tiles were missing. Before I knew it, she came down on me. I caught a glimpse of her keys still in her hand, then I heard something crunch as her fist came in contact with my skull.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III: Unconscious**

He was kneeling in front of me, his hands gripped my waist firmly. I felt his warm breath inhaling me in. I struggled to open my eyes but couldn't. His soft lips nipped at my earlobe then the sensation of feather light kisses slowly trailing down my neck. He then paused just above my pulsating vein and again inhaled deeply. The mere thought of him touching me again made me shudder in desire. "Dimitri", I whispered.

I tried to reach out to him, I wanted to pull him tightly against me and run my hands through his luxurious hair. But no matter how I tried I couldn't move. Everything was so hazy. I felt so sluggish, like I was in a drunken stupor. _What's wrong with me?_ I tried moving again, just then I realized that I was tied to a wooden chair, my legs were also bound. I pulled against the bindings, getting no where.

"Sorry, little damphir. It isn't Dimitri," he whispered softly in my ear. Surprised, I jumped forcefully, toppling my chair over. Being tied, I couldn't cushion my fall. My head hit the hardwood floor. I cursed, feeling the results of Tasha's ironclad fist on my skull again. The pain in my head was unbearable.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Is this some kind of sick joke?" I snarled angrily at him.

"Shhhh...calm down and try to quiet down for once. I tried everything to rouse you! Except for throwing cold water on your face but that was my next step." I saw a sarcastic smile on his lips.

"Why do you have me tied to this chair?," I said, lowering my voice.

"That's a good questions", he chuckled.

"You perverted son of a ...."

"Hey wait a minute, I would have never done anything more then kiss you. I'm not a rapist. I've been trying to pull you out of your subconscious and putting us into 'dreamland' ... but you aren't sleeping. You're unconscious. So here I am, in your unconscious state of mind. You are indeed tied to some chair somewhere and you are going to be trapped here unless you wake up. Believe me, if you were asleep I would have at least brought you somewhere more comfortable." He explained with a seductive smile on his face.

"You're making my headache even worst. You will have to explain this subconscious unconscious dream thing to me some other time. Can you instead make yourself useful and get me out of this chair?." _He_ _could do that right? Even if this really wasn't a dream?_ I mean the way he was touching me felt so good, so real.

He then walked toward me, I cringed at the thought of him being near me again. Then surprisingly I thought of the way he kissed me. I felt my heart stutter. _I probably have a concussion if I was thinking of Adrian like that.  
_  
I had to ask out loud. "Is it even possible for you to even untie me? The way you touched me felt so real. I thought you were...", I then blushed not wanting to complete my sentence. Adrian could think whatever he wanted. It didn't matter.

"You know Rose, ever since I met you at the ski lodge that night, my life has been so interesting. I never would have thought that something or someone would peek my interest this much. You are so full of surprises. " He was now kneeling behind my chair. I felt his fingertips lightly brush my arm.

"We found another spirit user while you were gone. He's been teaching me this sort of thing. I hope it works." I held my breath, I then felt my ties tighten around my wrists then slightly loosen.

"That's the best I can do for now. You're about to gain consciousness Rose, I can feel it. Someone's coming though so try to act normal." Before I could ask him anymore questions he was gone.

Unaware of how much time had passed, I finally woke up, again feeling the worst pain in my head. Bright lights suddenly flooded the room. Tasha strolled in with her hands on her hips.

"How did you manage this?" She had an astonished look on her face. I was still tied to a chair that was laying on the floor. Weird. Did Adrian really come here? And if he did, who was the new spirit user that he mentioned? If he assisted Adrian in this sort of thing then he must be an even more skilled spirit user way more advanced then Adrian and Lissa combined.

She came toward me hesitantly. She then grasped the chair roughly and sat me upright. The chair almost fell over again from the force of her exertion. She had more strength than I gave her credit for. I looked up at her, seeing so much hurt and anger in her face. I guess my backup plan of combining forces with her was out of the question.

I wondered if she knows about us. I couldn't figure out a better way to find out unless I asked her upfront. This was going to be a hard gamble.

"Sooo .... How did you find out?", I asked nonchalantly, silently checking my ties. They were definitely loose.

"I'm not stupid. The way you two looked at each other was more then enough, anyone smart would've noticed. I just can't believe that he would act on his infatuation towards you." She shook her head.

"Is this what this is about then? Is this why you have me tied up? If anything I would expect you to help me. But no! You're so jealous, deep down you're seething. Do you go to bed every night wondering how could he choose me over you? How could I possibly compare to you?" I said calmly. Trying to sound like the badass that I knew I was.

"I have every right to be jealous! I offered him the world but somehow you brainwashed him into saying no?!. You stupid, selfish girl! If not for you... where do you think he would be right now? Here! Alive and safe with me!" Unexpectededly, she hit me forcefully in my stomach. I gasped for air.

I wanted get out of that chair that very moment but instead I stared at her in disbelief, her words slowly disseminating into my brain. She was right. He could have been here, in this very studio. Tasha probably would've been pregnant by now and he could have been teaching. They could have had a wonderful future together. A future that I could never provide him.

I couldn't help it, I imagined Dimitri playing with a baby boy. A baby with his exact same features. He was squealing and cooing in delight as Dimitri tossed him lightly in the air while Tasha watched them lovingly close by. They all appeared happy and content. My eyes started to burn. _I won't cry infront of her. For heaven's sake! She tied me up in this chair and most definitely fractured my skull_. "I will not show weakness. I will not show weakness." I chanted repeatedly to myself. Still I knew my tear ducts had betrayed me, I felt the tears flowing down my cheeks.

Tasha continued to look at me, she probably imagined that very scenario plenty times herself. I saw her eyes glistening as well. "Yeah little girl, you just sit there and wallow in self-pity while I call your mother." She said hastily and walked towards her office.

_Why do I keep doing this?_ First with Mason and now with Dimitri. I could have prevented both their demise. Maybe I'm cursed. Every person I seem to care about eventually meets their doom. Except for Lissa. Could this be because I was shadow kissed? Was darkness destined to follow me everywhere?


End file.
